Chapter 399 – Bestowing a Title

Chapter 399 - Bestowing a Title

Magpie took a glance outside and, seeing no one, whispered, "Her Majesty the Empress must hold our prince in high regard. If our prince were to advance further, you would be worthy of him."

Liao, however, pursed her lips and shook her head.

"You're thinking too much. On the second day after the wedding when we went to the palace for an audience, I could tell. The Empress might have had such intentions, but..."

She recalled the emperor's indifferent demeanor at that time.

The veiled words from the Empress Dowager.

And the expressions on the concubines' faces...

"Do you know about Princess Ning?" Liao asked.

"Yes, I've heard. Didn't she die suddenly from an illness?" Magpie replied.

"What sudden illness? She was fine the day before and then just... gone?" Liao scoffed. "In the royal family, the most unreliable cause of death is a sudden illness. It doesn't happen like that in common society. With all those imperial physicians in the palace, how could a master just suddenly pass away? Isn't that laughable?"

Who was it that passed away from illness last time? Was it Concubine Jinde?

"Your Highness means... she was..." Magpie's expression turned grim.

"Sigh. Originally, I didn't care much about this. Regardless of how Consort Ning met her end, His Majesty didn't take his anger out on the Fifth Prince, so he remains a noble prince. But if he insists on getting involved in the struggle for the throne... it's hard to say what might happen then, old grudges and new feuds could resurface." Lady Liao said.

"What... what should we do then?" Magpie panicked.

"Don't worry, let me think this through. Don't blame me for not valuing our marital bond. If it were just me, I would be willing to follow him in life and death. But there are all of you, and my clan with dozens of lives. I cannot abandon them," Lady Liao explained.

She was the legitimate princess consort.

Naturally, she came with her own entourage.

Among them were eight maid-servants and two nursemaids who served her diligently. There were also several members of the Pei family, overseeing shops and managing manors. Altogether, there were scores of people under their employ.

If Prince Fifth and Princess Fifth were to fall from grace, what would become of these individuals?

As her natal family, the Liao clan would fare no better.

The Fifth Prince was handsome and gentle, treating her exceptionally well. But no matter how good he was, she couldn't risk her entire family's lives in a gamble.

---

On the first day of the third month, an imperial edict was issued.

Both the Second and Third Princes were granted titles.

The Second Prince was bestowed the title of Duke Jing, while the Third Prince became Duke Duan.

In the Great Jin Empire, there was no distinction between dukes and territorial princes, nor were there additional ranks; they were all equal as princes.

However, previous emperors had granted fiefs, although it was no longer necessary for them to reside in those territories.

Nonetheless, the taxes from those lands belonged to them.

But by the time of the late emperor, these privileges were gradually abolished.

Now, such a practice no longer existed.

Among Helan Jingen's children, only his eldest legitimate daughter, Princess Yiyang, possessed a fief with its associated tax revenue, which was a testament to Helan Jingen's unique affection for her.

Now that Princes Jing and Tian have been granted their titles, the significant increase in their allowances is a notable benefit.

Though they were once imperial princes with substantial incomes, it still pales in comparison to their current status.

With this change, they can now expand their mansions.

Prince Wu had been on tenterhooks for quite some time, fearing that he might be overlooked for a title. Eventually, his anxiety subsided when he realized that no title was forthcoming.

In truth, it is customary to grant an imperial prince a title only a few years after his marriage. Hence, it was not expected for He Jinli to bestow one upon Prince Wu at this juncture.

It was just that Fifth Prince also wished to seize this final opportunity. After all, as long as the crown prince had not been officially appointed, there was still a chance.

Now that the princes have grown up, they are able to engage with the world outside.

During the New Year's festivities, Princes Five, Six, Seven, and Nine also won some popularity with their tours of inspection.

Though ancient people tended to dote more on their younger children, when it came to responsibilities, they would still choose the older ones.

After all, in ancient times, the likelihood of children not surviving to adulthood was high, and there was always the fear of them not making it.

Though all princes were inoculated against smallpox at the age of seven, the ancient times' inability to sustain children wasn't solely due to this disease.

Thus, in the absence of a legitimate son, the elder child would generally be given more importance.

However, the supporters of the Fifth Prince still couldn't match those of the Sixth and Ninth Princes.

It was regrettable that his maternal family was too weak.

There were initially some attempts to gauge the Empress Dowager's stance, but she practically declared that she wouldn't interfere.

The Lin family did have intentions, but without the Empress Dowager's support, they were insignificant.

Intentions alone held no weight.

The Liao family was initially delighted – who wouldn't want to see an empress from their own clan?

Yet, Liao herself, in a rare moment of clarity, laid out the pros and cons to her father, urging her family not to blindly follow the trend.

Thus, the Liao family decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

With this turn of events, even though the Empress was eager, the Xie family's influence was no longer what it used to be. Consequently, not many were willing to support them. On the tenth day of the month, during the morning court session, the topic of establishing an heir to the throne was brought up once more.

The ministers argued that the crown prince should be appointed sooner rather than later, as it would benefit all matters at hand.

As long as the position of the crown prince remained uncertain, the imperial sons would also be restless, and the ministers would continue to jockey for power.

Indeed, this was a valid point.

It was the first time Emperor He Jinli made a direct response to this issue.

"I had to dethrone my legitimate son due to his frail health. Several years have passed, and it is indeed time to appoint another crown prince. However, given the previous incident, this time, the decision cannot be taken lightly."

He Jinli looked at the faces of his imperial sons and ministers as he continued, "I must now give this matter serious thought. If any of you, my loyal ministers, have recommendations, present your memorials. But let us refrain from rehashing old arguments. Since my legitimate son is no longer an option, in choosing among my concubine-born princes, I will prioritize virtue. It is not necessary for him to possess exceptional talents, but he must be capable of bearing the responsibility of this kingdom when the time comes."

The ministers responded in unison, "Your Majesty's wisdom shines through."

Now that the emperor was seriously considering appointing a new crown prince, this was the ministers' final chance to influence the decision. How could they not be anxious?

Meanwhile, the Fifth Prince was also frequently receiving visits from ministers at his own residence.

The number of people presenting gifts and those visiting the prince's residence to pay their respects to the princess increased.

The more this happened, the more uneasy Liao became.

In her distress, she went to a temple outside the city to burn incense.

As the princess, she couldn't have a large entourage accompanying her on such visits.

However, not everyone was forbidden from joining her.

It was purely coincidental that she encountered Yu.

Yu had developed the habit of visiting the temple on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month due to her mother's beliefs, which she had been exposed to since childhood. It wasn't a monthly ritual, but whenever there were no pressing matters, she would make the trip.

Today was the fifteenth of March, and she hadn't expected to meet the Fifth Prince's wife.

The Fifth Princess was initially troubled, but upon learning that the guest in the side hall was Madam Qi, the seventh young miss of the Qi family, she immediately said, "Hurry and invite her over. Tell her... tell her it's a coincidence, and I'd like to have a chat with Sister Yu."

On hearing that it was the Fifth Prince's wife, Yu was reluctant to meet her. However, as a subject, she couldn't refuse an encounter with a royal family member.

Reluctantly, she decided to pay a visit.

When she arrived and offered her greetings, Madam Liao promptly helped her up. "There's no need to be formal. Meeting is fate."

Madam Yu felt even more cautious with Madam Liao's excessive politeness.

---

On the third day, Madam Liao learned that Madam Yu had entered the palace.

In the Jade Stream Palace, due to the lovely weather that day, they were seated by the lotus pond. Though the lotus leaves had not yet fully emerged, a few eager ones had already poked their heads through the water's surface.

The flowering crabapple is on the verge of blossoming.

The peach buds are also poised to bloom, revealing a hint of a tree's blush pink.